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It’s not often 46,000-odd people across Australia tune into a technically fraught YouTube livestream during a workday to watch a court judgement. Just a static shot of one man, reading extracts of a 324-page legal document, for more than two hours.
But that’s what happened yesterday when Federal Court Justice Michael Lee handed down his verdict in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson. To say it was “much anticipated” or “long awaited” would be to dramatically understate the fervour surrounding it.
While he found Brittany Higgins was an “unsatisfactory witness”, Justice Lee’s judgement was largely a blistering evisceration of Lehrmann. He found Lehrmann, on the balance of probabilites, raped Higgins in Parliament House in 2019 (something he’s always denied) and told deliberate lies throughout the trial.
Of course, none of this needed to happen at all. After the criminal prosecution was dropped in 2022, Lehrmann remained free of criminal conviction. In one of his many memorable turns of phrase, Justice Lee summed up the “omnishambles” by saying Lehrmann, “having escaped the lion’s den [of criminal prosecution], made the mistake of coming back to get his hat”. In his analysis of the verdict, law expert Brendan Clift writes:
“This case was a manifestation of Lehrmann’s professed desire to ‘light some fires’. Few players in this extended saga have emerged without scars, and here he burned his own fingers, badly.”
And extended the saga has been. In the piece, we’ve collated a list of the cases that have sprung up since the initial sexual assault allegations were levelled. If you feel like you’ve heard a lot of the key players in all of this, the 15 cases that have dominated the headlines might be why.
But as several of these cases remain ongoing, including with upcoming trials, you haven’t heard the last of it yet.
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Erin Cooper-Douglas
Deputy Politics + Society Editor
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Brendan Clift, The University of Melbourne
In one of the biggest legal sagas of recent times, Justice Michael Lee has delivered his verdict. What did he say?
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James Ogloff, Swinburne University of Technology
The vast majority of people with mental illness pose no risk of violence to others. But is there a link between mental illness and violent crime?
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Mary Angela Bock, The University of Texas at Austin
How will Trump act during his upcoming court appearance in Manhattan? Surprises are unlikely, but his body language and expressions can help tell a fuller story that will go down in history.
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Natasha Yates, Bond University
Does weight come back when you stop taking drugs like Ozempic? Are these medications simply another (expensive) form of yo-yo dieting? Here’s what we know so far.
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Priya Chacko, University of Adelaide
The government’s alleged targeting of opposition figures, as well as a new system allowing anonymous donations to political parties, is believed to have given the BJP a huge edge.
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Andrew J. Martin, UNSW Sydney; Emma Burns, Macquarie University; Joel Pearson, UNSW Sydney; Keiko C.P. Bostwick, UNSW Sydney; Roger Kennett, UNSW Sydney
In our new research we looked at what impact breakfast has on students’ motivation to learn and their academic achievement.
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Liz Evans, University of Tasmania
The debut novels of two forceful, intelligent journalists are bold, brash stories of powerful women at the top of their game. One details a horrific sexual crime, the other ugliness in the art world.
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Marissa Nivison, University of Calgary; Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary
Attachment theory is the notion that in the first year of life, the ways in which a parent and caregiver respond to a child’s needs shape a child’s expectation of relationships across their lifespan.
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Politics + Society
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Alysson Watson, University of Newcastle
Families of some victims of the Bondi tragedy have asked for privacy, but do journalists have an obligation to pause, or halt, their newsgathering?
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Health + Medicine
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Ariella Meltzer, UNSW Sydney
If accessible crisis information is not accurate, complete, up to date and high quality, there can be life and death consequences for people with disability in a bushfire, flood or pandemic.
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Science + Technology
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Daniel Bressington, Charles Darwin University; David A Mitchell, Charles Darwin University
Users of online forums frequently advise others to play Tetris if they’ve experienced something traumatic. The idea does come from psychological research – here’s what the evidence says.
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Isaac A. R. Kerr, Flinders University
Some extinct kangaroos may barely have hopped at all.
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Environment + Energy
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Nicolas Benjamin Lubitz, James Cook University; David Schoeman, University of the Sunshine Coast
New research shows climate change can drive sudden ocean cooling too. This can have devastating effects on marine life such as bull sharks and manta rays.
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John Quiggin, The University of Queensland
For two years, Australia had a carbon price. Now we have a shadow price which won’t be paid by any emitter.
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Arts + Culture
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Andy Ward, University of the Sunshine Coast; Briony Luttrell, University of the Sunshine Coast; Lachlan Goold, University of the Sunshine Coast
Phonk isn’t just a new-age TikTok trend. It’s the music of a generation rallying against the state of the world.
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Liz Giuffre, University of Technology Sydney
There is nothing like a wedding episode. Bluey’s first 28-minute special, The Sign, was the ultimate wedding television.
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Business + Economy
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Neil G Sipe, The University of Queensland
The high-profile Indian startup is under pressure from rivals at home and is also preparing to list on the stock exchange.
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Dougal Sutherland, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Neurodivergent employees can have specific needs. Inclusion in the workplace means businesses and employers need to consider differences that may not be visible to outsiders.
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